To the Glory of God the Father
Phillipians 2:9-11 (KJV)
9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We were reading Scripture passages at church tonight, and this one really stood out to me. We've all heard it countless times - probably even quoted or paraphrased it a time or two. But tonight something stuck out to me in a new way. I want to share that with you. It's about the Glory of God.
We as Christians strive to do things to bring glory to God -- at least we should. We often pray in church that everything we do bring glory to God. That's good. Let's keep it up. But I like verse 11. "[E]very tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Do you see that? What brings glory to the Father? When we confess that Jesus is Lord. I believe every time someone comes to Christ, the Father receives glory. But I don't think it stops there.
I think confessing Christ is Lord is not limited to a sinner getting saved. I think it's a continual daily process. I think every decision we make is an opportunity to confess Christ is Lord. When we choose God's way over our own desires, we confess Him as Lord. Remember for Him to be Lord, He has to be the one who calls the shots. Romans 6:6 says, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Therefore, as Paul goes on to say in verse 18, "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." We know Christ was made righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), so we are his servants. We daily have opportunities to confess that Jesus is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.
And one more thought: You know how you feel when someone comes and tells you something that your child has done that was good? The joy, the feeling of pride that comes from knowing your child has done so well at something that another person has to tell you how good they are? Imagine the joy God feels when we praise His Son. I think our praises are another way we confess Christ is Lord. We wouldn't think of praising someone who was not worthy of praise. But we know Christ is worthy of all praise (Psalm 18:3). So just imagine the Father's joy when we praise the Son and confess Him as Lord.
So here's an idea. Why don't we purpose to confess Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father every day? Why don't we purpose to praise the One worthy to be praised every day? Just think of the change we can bring about in our lives and the lives of others by being the servants of righteousness we should be.
posted by Tim @ 7:37 PM
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